Nikon D600 In-Depth Review

Nikon officially announced the long-rumored and much-leaked D600 a week before the Photokina trade show in September. The D600 is a full-frame DSLR aimed at enthusiasts, with a price to match. At a body only price of $2099/£1955, the 24MP D600 is significantly cheaper than its big brother the D800, and on a par with Canon's recently announced 21MP full-frame EOS 6D.

The D600 - which offers similar build quality and operational ergonomics as the popular DX-format D7000 - is a significant camera, even with the Canon EOS 6D arriving hot on its heels. The D600 matches or exceeds the pixel count of every other full-frame DSLR bar one (the D800) at a pricepoint which puts it within the reach of many enthusiasts. For those of us who've been covering the industry for a while, it's sobering to remember that the first full-frame DSLR, the Canon EOS 1Ds, was announced almost a decade ago. It doesn't seem like so long ago that full-frame was the holy grail of consumer digital imaging, promising liberation from crop factors once and for all, and a return to a simpler time where a 24mm lens actually was a 24mm.

A lot has changed since the 1Ds went on sale though (at an eye-watering $7999) and these days, if you want a full-frame camera, you don't have to remortgage your home. Cameras like Sony's Alpha 850, Nikon's D700 and Canon's EOS 5D brought full-frame sensors within reach of enthusiasts, and the more recent D800, Canon's EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 6D have continued that trend, offering more and more advanced specifications at prices much lower than top-flight equipment like the Nikon D3X and Canon's flagship, the EOS-1D X, the former of which, at least, is looking increasingly anachronistic. It's interesting to note, too, that with the D600, Nikon significantly undercuts the price of Sony's recent full-frame offerings - the SLT-A99 and Cyber-shot RX1.

Nikon D600: Key Specifications

24.3MP Full-frame CMOS sensor (10.5MP DX-format crop mode)

ISO 100-6400 (expandable to ISO 50-25,600 equivalent)

Maximum 5.5fps continuous shooting

39-point AF system with 9 cross-type AF points

3.2in 921k-dot LCD screen

1080p30 full HD video

Headphone jack for audio monitoring in movie mode

Uncompressed video recording via HDMI

Single-axis electronic level in viewfinder, duel-axis (pitch and roll) in live view

Dimensions: 141mm x 113mm x 82mm (5.5 × 4.4 × 3.2 in).

Weight: 760 g (1.6 lbs) (camera body only, no battery)

Affordable full-frame

At its list price at launch of $2099 the D600 is one of the most affordable full-frame cameras yet, and although Nikon insists that there are still good reasons to buy the D300S, it seems very likely that the D600 will finally supplant the older DX-format model as the 'upgrade of choice' for users of the D3200, D5100 and D7000. But despite its relatively low cost the D600 is very far from a 'no frills' model. Features like 5.5fps shooting at full-resolution, 100% viewfinder coverage, full HD video capture with an option to record uncompressed footage via HDMI and a customizeable 39-point AF system would be pretty impressive in a camera costing much more.

Ergonomically,
the D600 will feel to some extent familiar to both of these constituencies. The D600's UI is very similar to the DX-format D7000; it even shares the same 39-point AF array. In terms of functionality though, the D600 also has a lot in common with its big brother the D800, particularly when it comes to video specification. Something that came as a surprise on the D600 was the ability to shoot uncompressed video footage via HDMI output. On paper, this, plus a mic socket for an external microphone and a headphone jack should make the D600 very appealing to videographers. The only real difference in specification between the implementation of the D600's video mode compared to the D800 is that you can't adjust aperture during movie recording on the new model (unless you use an older manual focus lens with a mechanical aperture ring).

No 'Power Aperture' aperture control during movie shooting (offered by D800 using Fn + Preview buttons)

Shutter rated to 150,000 cycles (compared to 200,000 cycles)

Magnesium-alloy top and rear covers only (D800 has full mag-alloy chassis except flash housing)

USB 2.0 interface (compared to USB 3.0)

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based
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before coming to your own conclusions.

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Comments

Amazing stuff ... very impressive technology and very likely an extremely capable camera (in the right hands). And yet, not for me. I find the bulk and the functional overload of cameras like the new D600 distracting and intimidating for both, photographer and subject. I much prefer more simple and purposeful designs that concentrate high quality photography.

Something that amazes me is that the Sony A99 actually performs better at high ISO settings, like ISO 1600 and ISO 6400, than this camera and the D610. I didn't expect that. If you doubt me, just take a look at the photos here with the studio shot comparison tool. Be sure to set the ISO settings for both cameras and make sure you look at the playing card and the writing on the red square under the dime. Those areas REALLY show the noise. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/studio-compare#baseDir=%2Freviews_data&cameraDataSubdir=boxshot&indexFileName=boxshotindex.xml&presetsFileName=boxshotpresets.xml&showDescriptions=false&headerTitle=Studio%20scene&headerSubTitle=Standard%20studio%20scene%20comparison&masterCamera=nikon_d600&masterSample=dsc_4526_03&slotsCount=4&slot0Camera=nikon_d600&slot0Sample=dsc_4526_03&slot0DisableCameraSelection=true&slot0DisableSampleSelection=true&slot0LinkWithMaster=true&slot1Camera=sony_slta99&slot1Sample=dsc00049&x=-0.378464142966364&y=0.34409159041539195

I am sure you , thinking a little about it, must realize they produce with profit in mind, not love for you, who are merely contributors to their profits for them.That is all you are, and all even the greatest photographers are- a means of supporting their incomes and assuring the wealth and value of the yen against the euro, pound, and dollar.

Nikon knew pre-release, surely, that this problem existed, as they extensively test new machines. Therefore, it follows, surely, that this was all done on purpose, as was designing lenses that do not cover more than APS-C properly (24-70 NahNo!) because they delude themselves that we are all so pleased to own a Nikon that we will even buy plastic mount lenses for it!! Made of plastic, and according to one reviewer taped inside with sticky tape as iPhone lenses are with glue.

They think we are that jackdaw stupid. They are correct. We are so stupid we cannot make cameras at all!!!

No recall from Nikon because of their abysmal recent quarter(s), if this would have happened in 2010 I'm sure Nikon would have replaced the shutter mechanisms for free under guarantee but is it stands now Nikon is struggling, there's no money in the pot to recall and fix the d600

One doesn't need a PHD in damage control; the way Nikon handled this issue and it's customer base are a shame.The D600 should have been fixed, full shutter issue disclosure should have been provided. Is the D610 shutter mechanism the same as the one on the D600 where it was replaced? Simple questions, there should be answers but of course no, nothing.

DP Review is a professional organization and their review of the Nikon D600 meets professional standards. It is impressive how much better the Nikon D600 camera performs than Canon and Sony's high end cameras. The D600 is clearly the winner in the DP Review comparison of these top end cameras. For me the D600's handling of ISO images sets it apart from the competition and is one reason why Nikon is the #1 camera brand.

Apparently the early production run of the Nikon D600 had some cameras whose shutter mechanism was faulty. Nikon gave an advisory in February 2013 for those affected to take their cameras to their service centers and many had their camera's shutter mechanism replaced.

Canon's top end camera also experienced a light leak issue from its early production run. Apparently providing a fix was much more involved because it was a structural problem. Apparently Canon's solution was to put a tape inside the camera to cover the light leak.

You seem to trust DP Review's "professional standards" so much that you forget to use your own critical sense. Look closely at the studio shots, JPEG at 100 and 3200 ISO and tell me that the Nikon is not overly soft and lacking detail compared to the Sony or Canon, especially on the playing cards.

Cheers to DPR for the gold rating of D600 - a clearly defective camera by design and component. The link above is the implied admission from Nikon. Next time raters from DPR, it is better that you state "we withhold any final rating on this camera at this time until we see a conclusive fix from Nikon" or something like that and save yourselves the embarrassment.

D600 nightmare: After three weeks a few spots appeared. After four weeks a MASSIVE number of spots appeared and I sent it in to Nikon's New York repair facility. Two weeks later I received it, they had replaced the shutter mechanism and cleaned the low pass filter. I took some blue sky test shots which revealed spots still on the sensor. Back to Nikon for the second time. I received the D600 back from Nikon and the workorder shows all they did was re-clean the already cleaned sensor. Test shots show the exact same spots present as when they received it.

How ridiculous is it that an untrained consumer can see a serious problem in 5 minutes, and Nikon's service center has now twice sent out a camera with a damaged sensor.

One more thing: HEY NIKON - can we end the fantasy that the problem is dust? From the owner's manual: "Note, however, that the filter is extremely delicate and easily damaged." And apparently it is damaged when lubricant from the shutter mechanism hit it.

Nikon comes clean over the dust and oil problem – meaning they fixed it. Nikon users also mentioned even before the Nikon announcement that these issues disappear after the camera has been run in.Source: http://bubbajuju.com/get_nikon_d600_on_sale/where there are two comparison grids of the most popular cameras to date.

No they havent fixed it. What they are doing in Australia is fitting a new D600 shutter, cleaning your sensor and sending it back, then surprise surprise after about 500-1000 shots the oil is splattered thickly again, not the normal one or two spots but multiple,this is not normal! after about 4 returns they send you another D600. So then your back on the round-about. I dont think I will buy NIKON again.